We decided to revisit Atlanta this long weekend after obtaining support from Delta reward miles for me and a Bayer research conference for Melody. Thinking that we had escaped the Noreasters that slammed Boston last week, we were surprised on arrival to find a few inches of snow in a city unprepared to deal with it (they had six snow plows in the entire city). Although the snow had immobilized the region for the week, businesses were just re-opening when we arrived. Since we already visited Atlanta’s major tourist attractions a few years ago, we focused this time on relaxing and relishing Southern cooking. Saturday dinner at JCT kitchen was frothy shrimp bisque and fried chicken with mac-‘n-cheese for me, and fried oysters and shrimp & grits for Melody. On Sunday, after trekking to Buckhead for the famed burger at Holeman & Finch, we toured the Zoo Atlanta. Many of the animals were taken off display for the cold weather, but we did enjoy the hyperactive mole rats (much smaller in real life compared with the mutated ones in Fallout NV), as well as feeding time in the viper pit at the reptile exhibit. Dinner at South City Kitchen disappointed us with breast-only fried chicken and an over-spiced trout. Instead, I resorted to the jambalaya while Melody swapped
for more shrimp and grits. On our last day, we met up with my cousin (another ophthalmologist!) for brunch, then revisited the Georgia Aquarium for another gander at the only whale sharks in captivity in North America. Saddened by the lack of good fried chicken, I returned to my well-acquainted Atlanta airport Popeye’s for a 3-piece dark meat combo before our evening flight home. The weekend trip was overall a welcomed break, but our late night arrival back home will no doubt make for a rough start to the upcoming work week.

Our new year began with sad news – our favorite noodle shop owner is moving back to Japan. We went last night to enjoy our last bowl of sapporo miso ramen and kita no kuni shio ramen at our beloved Ken Ramen noodle shop, said goodbye to Kenji-san, and wished him good luck back home.
While we look for an alternate option for ramen in Boston, I’ll be resorting to home-cooked instant noodles. One of my attendings recently introduced me to a brand called Myojo Chukazanmai. The noodles are springy and the broth is richly flavored. However, the $2 price tag is just too high for my taste. For just 75 cents (via Amazon’s subscribe and save), I will stick with my old favorite – Nong Shim’s Neoguri seafood udon. Just toss in some frozen veggies and two eggs stirred-in “egg-drop” style, and you’ve got yourself a sublime, steaming, spicy snack to satiate your stomach (aliteration intended). Give it a try, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Mina-san, Itadakimasu!

Our plan this weekend had been to celebrate quietly at home. Even my pager managed to stay silent for most of the time. Unfortunately, our short drive home from the grocery store yesterday was stopped abruptly by another car that had crossed a stop sign immediately ahead of us. Fortunately, the low speed accident left none of us with injuries … just a bit agitated. After calling our insurance company, we spent the rest of our time enjoying warm lo sung beef soup, trying out Little Big Planet, and watching episodes of Ruroni Kenshin. The story of the legendary manslayer “Battousai” and his quest for redemption as a wanderer in the Meiji era is an intriguing tale that has made this perhaps the most popular anime series of all time. The new “Kyoto” arc surpasses its predecessor with a more engaging, integrated story line with intriguing character development and excellent action cinematography. Anyway, I wish everyone a happy new year!